With the help of the Iraqi Embassy, India has stepped up its efforts to bring back the Indians safely, said Sushma Swaraj.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday assured Rajsthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje that the Centre is trying its best to safely bring back the Indians stranded in strife-torn Iraq.

Swaraj talked to Raje on telephone in response to her letter sent on Saturday, an official release said.

With the help of the Iraqi Embassy, India has stepped up its efforts to bring back the Indians safely, Swaraj told Raje.

Indians are stuck in Basra city and adjoining places, and attempts are being made to rescue them, Swaraj said.

She said some companies there had taken away passports of Indian workers.

On Saturday, Raje had written a letter to Swaraj, seeking her intervention for safe and speedy release of Indian nationals held hostage in Iraq.

In her letter, Raje had expressed concern for the security of the Indian workers in the gulf nation, including those hailing from Rajasthan.

Iraq is witnessing serious strife with Sunni militants, backed by al Qaeda, capturing two key cities and marching towards Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced in the fighting that broke out on June 10.